SECONDARY MOVEMENTS TO NORTH DARFUR ONGOING AS REFUGEES SEEK WORK – Biometric registration of refugees in Al Lait locality is ongoing. More than 500 refugees previously registered in East Darfur have arrived in Al Lait since August seeking casual labour opportunities during the locality’s harvest period. Over 60 per cent of newly registered refugees to North Darfur are young single males. Farming is a key source of refugee livelihoods across Al Lait and is a key draw for refugees to the area. Host communities are also engaged in land-use arrangements with refugee farmers to allow refugees to cultivate land with harvest-sharing agreements.

Operational Update

SOUTH SUDANESE REFUGEE DELGATION IN KHARTOUM SHARE EXPECTATIONS FROM REVIVED PEACE TALKS WITH SOUTH SUDAN’S LEADERS – On September 4, a group of 16 South Sudanese refugees from Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR) met in Khartoum with the signatories of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and other political parties and stakeholders from South Sudan’s civil society. The refugees appealed to the international community to continue to support the people of South Sudan, and said that they will only return to South Sudan if the situation on the ground improves and there is a strong commitment to the agreement by all parties. They also expressed their readiness to play a greater role in awareness-raising and rebuilding trust amongst South Sudanese communities both in South Sudan and in exile. The meeting was facilitated by UNHCR in collaboration with the Government of Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the Commissioner of Refugees (COR) and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD).

CARE INTERNATIONAL SWITZERLAND (CIS) COMPLETES NEW HAFFIR FOR REFUGEES AND HOST COMMUNITIES IN EL LERI, SOUTH KORDOFAN – The new haffir will improve access to safe water supply for nearly 15,000 refugees and their host communities in the El Leri area. CIS is now completing the installation of the piping network and water supply points. Tensions over water resources have been a key issue for the host community, and the haffir and new water supply network forms an important component of peaceful coexistence initiatives within the locality.